Where to watch: Hulu
Reactions: Eerily Delighted, Magical and Dark

I’ll first acknowledge that this show first aired in 2014 on Cartoon Network and that I am very late to the game. I’d been looking for something short and easy to watch for a few minutes before heading upstairs to bed each night. And the Hulu algorithm read my mind (spooky, I know).

The limited series tells the story of two half-brothers who get lost in the woods, after hopping over a garden wall. The elder brother Wirt, voiced by Elijah Woods, struggles with trying to lead them to safety and eventually faces a crisis of confidence. The youngest brother Gregory is goofy and always optimistic. Gregory is illustrated almost like Steamboat Willie with big eyes and jerky gestures, which gives him the perfect features of a silly little rambling boy.

My favorite thing about this show is its dream-like magical realism. Animals talk, a woodsman battles a dark and evil beast, and old ladies in huts are both magically benevolent and monstrous. And at 11 minutes per episode, it’s the perfect format for magical realism to come alive without a need for any extra explanation. And while all ten episodes connect and form a complete arc, each episode also serves as a unique and complete adventure within the arc.

This show was new to me and is exactly the kind of show I fall in love with instantly.

I highly recommend Over the Garden Wall